In order to provide the desired signal transmission characteristics, a number of optical fiber connectors have been developed which are mounted to the end portion of an optical fiber during a factory assembly process. By mounting the optical fiber connector to the optical fiber at the factory, the assembly of the optical fiber connector can be standardized such that inconsistent assembly and other problems associated with the field installation of the connector are avoided.
However, the factory installation of optical fiber connectors is not altogether satisfactory for every application. In particular, the factory installation of optical fiber connectors does not customize the installation process to account for the myriad of design variations expected in the field. For example, by installing optical fiber connectors to the end portion of an optical fiber at the factory, the length of the connectorized optical fiber is fixed, thus requiring excess length and coiling to insure sufficient length for all applications. In addition, in many instances it is desirable to cut a length of optical fiber into a plurality of shorter lengths, each of which must be individually connected, such as by an optical fiber connector, to another optical fiber or to a patch panel or other type of terminal. However, the respective lengths of the shorter optical fibers cannot generally be determined until the optical fibers are installed in the field.
In order to address one or more of the above referenced problems, solutions have been devised to install connectors onto optical fiber in the field. Such solutions, however, typically require numerous tools and time consuming process steps in order to terminate and connect the optical fiber.